


If You Can't Trust Me

by InTheWind



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-26
Updated: 2013-09-26
Packaged: 2017-12-27 16:11:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/980968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InTheWind/pseuds/InTheWind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He was the one person in her life who'd never let her down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	If You Can't Trust Me

**Author's Note:**

> Minor spoilers for 15x02 "Imprisoned Lives."
> 
> Just a quick scene I dashed off after watching the premiere. The line "If you can't trust me, I'm done here" brought up some feels about the dynamic between Cragen and Olivia.

He was the one person in her life who’d never let her down.  Who’d never given up on her.  Who’d never walked out.

It wasn’t like she hadn’t given him plenty of reasons to do any and all of the above.  She had always gotten too close to her cases and it had always affected her judgment and she had always, _always_ given him a hard time whenever he tried to point it out.  And the thing was, he always relented in the end.  He always trusted her.

“If you can’t trust me, I’m done here.”

She hadn’t realized how true those words were until just before she spoke them, when she looked into the eyes of the man who’d had her back more than any partner she’d ever had and saw an uncertainty that had never been there before.  For the first time, his faith in her was wavering.

She knew then that without his support, her career was over.  Everything she had would be gone.  He had believed in her for fifteen years, had fought the brass for her, had fought _her_ for her.  If he didn’t trust her on the job anymore, how could she ever trust herself?

The silence stretched on for far too long.  She almost turned to pack her things, thinking he’d made up his mind, but she couldn’t bring herself to give up that easily.  So she waited, searching his face and those big, kind eyes for some sign that he was still with her, still willing to take a chance on her like he had fifteen years ago and so many times since.

“I trust you,” he said finally.  His voice was weary, as it usually was when he was about to let her do something against his better judgment, but his expression was almost paternal.  “Go on, get in there.”

She nodded.  Relief flooded through her—she hadn’t lost everything after all, and what was gone she could still get back.  With one hand on the doorknob, she paused. She could see both of their reflections in the glass door; flattened into two dimensions, it looked like he was standing just over her shoulder. She supposed that wasn't too far off from the truth. She took a moment and just stared at the both of them, and when she spoke she wasn't quite sure whether she was addressing him or herself.

“I won’t let you down.”


End file.
